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Former top football recruit makes Winter Olympic bobsled team

Former Rice running back Sam McGuffie made the Winter Olympic team as a bobsledder. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Sam McGuffie, who played college football for both Michigan and Rice, now is an elite winter athlete.

On Monday, USA Bobsled announced that McGuffie would be part of the two-man and four-man teams to next month’s Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

It’s McGuffie’s first Olympic berth. He’s the first Rice athlete ever to make a Winter Olympic team.

McGuffie is a pusher, meaning he helps get the bobsled to top speeds. He’ll team with driver Cody Bascue on the two- and four-man sled.

McGuffie has been a member of the national team for three years. He ‘s won five World Cup medals. In 2017, his four-man team won the bronze medal at the World Championships.

The bobsled competitions are Feb. 18-19 and Feb. 24-25.

McGuffie was a star tailback for Cypress Fairbanks High School outside Houston. He was ranked by Rivals.com as the ninth best tailback in the country. He initially signed with Michigan in 2008 and excelled as a freshman, rushing for 131 yards against Notre Dame. But he was slowed by injuries and transferred to Rice after his freshman season.

While with the Owls McGuffie played football and ran track. He rushed for 1,057 career yards and caught 102 passes for 1,059.

He also competed for the Rice track team as a sprinter, hurdler and long jumper.

McGuffie was in two NFL training camps and had a brief tenure in the CFL. He also played pro rugby.